Saturday, 10 May 2014

Niners add Ellington, three corners on final day of draft

So that's it, the 2014 NFL Draft is in the books, and the San Francisco 49ers have added a total of 12 players to their roster.

Seven of those players were drafted on the final day of the proceedings in New York. Here is a rundown of the players San Francisco selected in the last four rounds.

4(106). Bruce Ellington, wide receiver, South Carolina
4(129). Dontae Johnson, cornerback, North Carolina State
5(150). Aaron Lynch, defensive end/outside linebacker, South Florida
5(170). Keith Reaser, cornerback, Florida Atlantic
6(180). Kenneth Acker, cornerback, Southern Methodist
7(243). Kaleb Ramsey, defensive end, Boston College
7(245). Trey Millard, fullback, Oklahoma

After deciding not to select a cornerback in the first three rounds, San Francisco boosted their secondary with a trio of players at the position.

NC State's Dontae Johnson is a tall corner with good straight line speed and athleticism and should be able to compete for playing time in his rookie season.

Keith Reaser, by contrast, is likely to be redshirted in his first year after tearing his ACL last October and undergoing two separate surgeries to try and remedy the problem. However, when he does return Reaser may bring speed to the secondary, having reportedly ran the 40-yard dash in 4.3seconds last year.

Kenneth Acker projects as more of a special teams contributor should he make the roster, while Kaleb Ramsey and Trey Millard may also sit out their opening years due to troubling injury histories.

Aaron Lynch, who dropped down the board because of character concerns, does not have the size to play as a 3-4 defensive end so should operate as an outside linebacker in the 49ers' system.

The premier pick of day three is that of Bruce Ellington, a player that represents excellent value in the fourth round after a strong final year with South Carolina, and may be able to give San Francisco the deep threat fans have been clamouring for.

A full draft wrap and more detailed analysis on every player the 49ers drafted will be available soon, but now it's time for me to some rest!

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